Chapter 12
The sudden appearance of the monstrous wolf surprised the villagers of Fahl village. Yet what truly surprised everyone the most was not that the monstrous wolf appearing in the village but rather the fact that Rennel actually subjugate the monster without killing it!
Still, the fact that the monstrous wolf (and its pup) came along with Rennel was proof enough. No matter how skeptical the villagers were, they could not deny the undeniable proof in front of them.
Still, seeing the monster that had snatched some of their livestock strutting around, the villagers could not help but to have some complicated feeling.
Still, despite their complicated feelings, and the fact that some of villagers held some sort of grudge against the monster, they could not actually ask the girl to kill it as compensation for the stolen livestock.
Not only would the girl not agree with it, most of the villagers would not allow it as well especially upon learning that the reason behind thievery of the missing livestock was because the monster had just given birth and had no strength to hunt prey. And since there was a nearby source of food, the monster chooses the most practical option.
Speaking of which, the reason that the monstrous wolf Black decided to stay in the mountains near the village of Fahl was not only because it was pregnant and needed a safe place where it could give birth to its pup. The main reason was that the Black lost a territorial dispute against a more powerful monster.
So having lost the battle, Black could only leave its former territory, in the other side of the mountain range, and look for a new hunting ground. It was just that while it was looking for a new territory, Black felt that it was about to give birth, and so could only stay near Fahl after accidentally stumbling upon a cave in the precipice of the mountains.
Also, since it just gave birth, the monstrous wolf was not strong enough to hunt for prey in the mountains. Apparently, just giving birth greatly weakened it and consumed most of its energy. As such, it could only swallow its pride and snatch livestock from the nearest settlement which just happen to be Fahl.
But despite stealing from the villagers, Black swears that it had never once thought of attacking any of the villagers. Firstly, it never considered humans as prey. Secondly, it was smart enough to know that once it started targeting humans, powerful humans would be sent to seek and kill it.
Although most humans were a lot weaker compared to majority of beast and monsters; Black was fully aware that powerful humans were also born among them. If Black really decide to target and kill the villagers, the powerful humans would sure to hunt it down.
So hearing the reasons from Rennel’s mouth, the villagers had no choice but to just move on. And it’s not because the villagers were especially kind (although they were indeed kind people) but because living near the mountains, the villagers were fully aware that they would always be in risk of encountering dangerous beast and monsters that might descent for reasons unknown. As such they could only let go and forgive the monstrous wolf.
Having settled the monster problem that plague the village of Fahl; Rennel pretty much completed the subjugation quest. And as for what she’s going to do with the monstrous wolf and its pup, that’s no longer their concern. As long as she didn’t release the monster back to the mountains, the villagers were okay with everything.
And as to what she’s going to do with Black and its pup, Rennel already have a plan in mind.
****
After leaving the village of Fahl (and declining the villagers’ invitation to stay and rest for the day), Rennel choose not to return to the town of Alchur yet. Instead, she, Chaos, and monster mother and child made a detour towards the Mazes of Trees.
In order to settle Black and the wolf-sized pup, Rennel plan to ask the help of the forest guardian. Rennel believed that the Mazes of Trees was the best place for the mother and child duo.
Not only was the Mazes of Trees unbelievably large (being the biggest forest in the kingdom), and pretty much unexplored, it also have lots of animals that could serve as prey for the monstrous wolf and its pup.
Also, hunting prey should no longer be a problem for Black after Chaos restored the monster to its best condition.
Staying there, Rennel believed that the two would be able to develop and survive – especially if the guardian of the forest was to look after them.
Having travelled deep into the forest, Rennel’s group finally found the guardian. To be more precise, they didn’t actually found the guardian but rather, the guardian found them. After all the guardian of the Mazes of Trees was as mysterious as the forest it presided over. If the guardian didn’t want to be found, no one, with the exception of few beings like Chaos, could find it.
In reality, the group didn’t specifically look for it. They just went deep into the forest and then have Chaos call for it by releasing a whip of its aura. Speaking of aura, it was also that moment that Black finally knew the identity of the mysterious “person” Rennel had been conversing with all this time.
And although this mysterious figure that the girl refer to as ‘teacher’ didn’t reveal its true appearance, a single whip of aura that the figure releases almost made the monstrous wolf faint!
Actually, Black’s pup had already fainted, and is now lying unconscious on Black’s back!
If the monstrous wolf was to describe the mysterious figure in one word, it’ll use the word ‘terrifying’!
“Just who is it! How could something like it exist?” Black has lots of question in its mind but was too afraid to ask.
Luckily for the monstrous wolf (and all of the surrounding creatures), Chaos had no intention of flexing its power and only released its aura to summon the guardian.
Not long after, a mysterious creature covered in mist appeared before the four of them. It politely greeted Chaos and the other before asking what they needed from it.
“Oh, it’s about this thing.” Chaos started as it pointed at Black and its pup. “I need your help to look after them, making sure they don’t cause troubles for the humans.”
“This, this thing! Did the girl’s teacher just call me and my child this thing?!”
Hearing Chaos call it and its pup “this thing”, Black felt a little stifled and unsatisfied. Despite being defeated by the girl, the monstrous wolf was still a very powerful creature in its own right. And yet the girl’s teacher actually described it as “this thing” without care!
If it could, Black would really like to challenge it in a fight. Unfortunately, Black couldn’t. Or to be more precise, the monstrous wolf has absolutely no courage to challenge Chaos at all!
The mist-covered guardian turns its huge eyes towards the Black and its (unconscious) pup. It observed the two for a few seconds before speaking.
“Monster king ‘dark wolf’? How surprising… To think I would see your kind here. Also, you actually gave birth?” The mist-covered guardian mused after seeing the mother and child.
Astonished by the word ‘monster king’ and ‘dark wolf’, Rennel could not help but interject and ask the mist-covered guardian.
“What’s a monster king ‘dark wolf’?” Rennel asked.
“A monster king is a very powerful monster that ruled over other monsters from the same kind. Meaning, this king here ruled over other wolf-type monsters. And as for ‘dark wolf’, it’s the creature’s title given by other creatures like the humans as well as its species. “The guardian explained.
Rennel was amazed; she didn’t think that the monster she fought not too long ago was actually a king of (wolf-type) monsters!
Knowing the truth, the way Rennel looked at Black changed. Her eyes now shine – containing both respect and expectations. Seeing how the girl looked at it, Black could not help but feel a little embarrassed. But despite her embarrassment though, it could not help but admit feel a little happy seeing the girl look at it with eyes full of awe. Unfortunately for Black, it was happy too soon.
“What’s with that smug look? Have you forgotten how my student thrashed you in battle earlier?” Chaos scolded it without mercy. It’s voice laden with disdain.
Hearing Chaos’ scolding it in a voice full of disdain, Black suddenly felt down. Although it wanted to retort, no words would come out of its mouth. After all, Chaos’ words were all true. It really did suffer a humiliating defeat in the hand of the girl.
The mist-covered guardian who was quietly listening by the side was also caught off guard by Chaos’ words. It didn’t expect that the human girl, Rennel had become so strong that she could now face off against a monster king and win.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. What an amazing talent. No, the girl was not the amazing one. It was her teacher that was truly the exceptional one.”
After knowing how fast Rennel improved in such a short time, the mist-covered guardian could not help but have more expectation of a certain tree spirit that inhabits the center of the forest. Just like the girl, it too received a ‘seed’ from the mysterious Chaos.
Ignoring the monstrous wolf that was feeling disheartened and was being coaxed by the girl, Chaos returns its attention to the mist-covered guardian.
“So how is it? Can I have your cooperation concerning the matter I spoke earlier? Chaos asked.
“Yes, of course. You can leave everything to me. I’ll make sure to complete your request satisfactorily,” The mist-covered guardian promised.
Chaos was satisfied after receiving the mist-covered guardian’s promise. It then told Rennel that they should leave since their business there is done.
Knowing that they it might take a while before she could see the Black and its pup; Rennel was a bit hesitant to leave. Still, she dare not disobey her teacher and eventually said her goodbye to the two. But before they leave though, Chaos turned around and told the mist-covered guardian to allow the monstrous wolf and its pup to see the tree spirit.
The mist-covered guardian was slightly surprised by this but after having thought of something, it nodded its head in agreement.
And with that, the two finally returned to Alchur.
****
Upon arriving at Alchur, the first thing the duo did was report the result of the quest to the adventurer’s guild. They told Arnold, the boss of the guild everything that had transpired during the duration of the quest with the exception of the fact that they asked the guardian of the Mazes of Trees for help.
The reason that Rennel did not report her interaction with the forest guardian was due to her teacher’s instructions. According to her teacher, Chaos, the matter of the forest guardian had too many implications and would cause her more harm than good. As such, Rennel could only tell a white lie, like how they found a good place inside the Mazes of Trees that suited the monster mother and child duo.
Anyways, Rennel has always been good at making up stories on the spot so it wasn’t an issue to her. Let’s not forget that that’s how she protected herself over the years. Besides, she technically didn’t lie – she simply held some information back, and change the narrative a bit.
Nonetheless, her report did still cause uproars especially after describing the appearance of the monster wolf. Apparently, many of the veteran adventurers in the guild knew of the existence of the monster kings!
So when Rennel was reporting about the monster wolf, many adventurers could not help but exclaimed in surprise. Even the guild boss, Arnold, was greatly taken aback. His expression went from surprise, to fear to anger. The color of his face changed so much that both Chaos and Rennel find it rather amusing.
And as for why Arnold became so emotional in those short moments stemmed from the fact that a subjugation quest involving monster kings was not supposed to be done solo. It’s supposed to be a great endeavor that involved a party of highly skilled adventurers to tackle properly. And even then there was no assurance that the subjugation was going to be successful. Moreover, the compensation for the quest reflects the amount of danger.
In other words, Rennel should have received compensation 20 times or more than what was originally agreed upon!
Hearing Arnold’s angry outburst, Rennel was greatly taken aback too, and felt like she was entitled to better compensation. But upon remembering the economic situation of the village of Fahl, the kind villagers, the slightly nosy old village chief, and the innocent smile of the village children; the girl changed her mind.
Judging by the appearance of the village alone, Rennel was certain that villagers wouldn’t be able to pay the full compensation unless they sell off all of their livestock. Besides, if they did sell their livestock just so they could pay the full compensation of the quest, how were the villagers supposed to survive the winter? Having personally seen what would happen if the village was pushed to the verge, Rennel could not help but shudder.
She didn’t want the children of the village of Fahl to experience what she and the other children of her village had experienced.
“Forget it.” Rennel said after thinking about it deeply.
Arnold was greatly surprised by the girl’s words, and ask, “Are you sure? It’s not a small amount of money you know?”
The boss of the guild was not the only one that was shocked by the girl’s decision. Even the other adventurers secretly listening were shocked too. After all, the compensation for the monster king subjugation quest was by no way small. The compensation for the quest would allow Rennel to live comfortably for a few years!
Rennel nodded her head, “The village probably couldn’t afford the compensation. Besides, it’s not their fault. I doubt ordinary people were aware of the existence of monster kings. So let’s just leave it at that.”
Arnold stared at the girl’s eyes for several second before sighing. He could tell there’s a deeper meaning behind the girl’s decision. But as they were not that close, the boss of the adventurer’s guild could only let it go.
“Alright, since that’s you decision, I’ll respect it.” Arnold could only relent. “Do you have other things to tell me as well?” He asked.
“Actually, there is one more thing…”
Rennel told Arnold that she plans on leaving Alchur and would be heading for the capital. Hearing this, the Arnold was a little disappointed. After all, Rennel was incredibly skilled as an adventurer and having her move would be a great loss to the town. Still, there’s nothing he could do but accept the fact that the girl was too good to be stuck in a town in the boonies.
“…I see. I’ll prepare the documents and write a recommendation letter for you. It should make it easy for you to register as an adventurer in the capital.”
Rennel was very grateful for the boss’ consideration. So after settling everything in the guild, she left the tavern and returned to the inn.
The next day, Chaos and Rennel left the town of Alchur while leaving behind a small legend.
****
To be continued
Previous Chapters: https://read.cash/@beastion
A nice way of acknowledge!